CCHA Commissioner Fred Pletsch discusses future of college hockey, end of 42-year-old league

March 28, 2013

DETROIT - After 42 seasons, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association put on one final bash in Detroit over the weekend with its annual awards show on Friday at downtown's historic Fox Theatre and championship tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.

Starting in the fall, the league's final configuration of 11 teams will split into four different conference with 2013 Mason Cup Champion Notre Dame going to Hockey East, regular season champion Miami and Western Michigan heading to the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference and the league's marquee schools - Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State - joining the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Ferris State, Bowling Green State and Alaska will head to a new-look WCHA.

Mining Journal Sports Editor Matt Wellens was in Detroit for the end of the CCHA. On Saturday following the league semifinal victories by Notre Dame and Michigan, he sat down with commissioner Fred Pletsch in the bowels of Joe Louis Arena to talk about the challenges college hockey will face in the future and what is to become of the 42-year-old CCHA.

Article Photos

CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch addresses the crowd on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and on television on FS Detroit prior to the presentation of the Mason Cup to CCHA tournament champions Notre Dame. With the league dissolving, the regular season and tournament championship trophies will be put on display at Bowling Green State, which was the only school to be a part of the CCHA all 42 seasons. (Journal photo by Adelle Whitefoot)